This invention relates to guides used in bending of conduits, wherein the guides are used to ensure coplanar bends in a conduit.
One of the problems encountered in bending of the conduits is ensuring of a co-planar alignment of two or more bends made on the same conduit. To make co-planar bends, the bends are usually made in a consecutive order, one bend after another. Making of the first bend establishes a two dimensional plane within which the conduit lies. Oftentimes, there exists a need to make a second bend at another section of the conduit with such second bend lying in the same plane as the first bend, i.e. with bends being co-planar. In a workshop or in the field, the co-planar bends are frequently made with nothing more than a sharp eye of a skilled worker to ensure a proper resultant configuration. Mistakes in making of co-planar bends could be very costly since some conduits are relatively expensive and correction of the improper out-of-plane bends is frequently not feasible.
There exists prior art aimed at ensuring obtainment of co-planar bends. Particularly there are two patents, a U.S. Pat. No. 4,394,799 issued to Moree et al, on Jul. 26, 1983 and a U.S. Pat. No. 5,154,000 issued to Mahoney et al, on Oct. 13, 1992. These patents describe devices that attach to the end of a conduit with the bubble level indicator positioned on the device. The bubble level is used to properly align the conduit before making of a second bend. These patents also describe an angle indicator for display of the angle of the bend itself. However, these inventions cannot display an out of plane angle, i.e. the angle of deviation from a plane. Not all consecutive bends in a conduit have a requirement of being co-planar. At times it is desirable to have a specific angle out-of-plane second bend, so as to properly align a conduit in the mechanism where it will be installed. However, these patents do not disclose such a capability.
What is needed is a guide for bending pipes and conduits which would allow for making of the co-planar consecutive bends as well as for measuring an angle of the out-of-plane consecutive bends.
The present invention represents a conduit bending guide for measuring angle of bends in a conduit. One wide application of the present invention is to ensure co-planar bends in a conduit. Another application is to measure an out-of-plane angle of a bend in a conduit. Additionally, the disclosed invention also allows to measure two angles for each bend, the angle of a bend in relation to the longitudinal axis of the conduit and an out-of-plane angle of a bend.
The term conduit is used here broadly to describe pipes, moldings, struts, bars, raceways, wireways, and other oblong objects. Furthermore, although conduits commonly have a round medial cross-section, the disclosed invention could be applied to conduits that have medial cross-section of practically any shape.
In one embodiment, the guide is comprised of an angle indicator, a suspension mount housing the angle indicator, and a fastening member for attaching the guide to a conduit. The guide could be attached to the end of a conduit or to a side of a conduit depending on the type and versatility of the utilized fastening member. The angle indicator could be rotated in space with varying degrees of freedom of rotation depending on the type of suspension mount used.
The guide is attached to a conduit and the conduit is positioned in a conventional conduit bending device. The operator adjusts the angle indicator to lie in a plane that is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the conduit. The operator notes the reading on the angle indicator and makes the first bend. Before the second bend is made, the operator aligns the conduit in the conduit bending device and observes the angle indicator to either insure a co-planar bend or to make a certain angle of an out-of-plane bend.
The angle indicator could also be used to measure the angle of a bend along the longitudinal axis of the conduit. For that purpose, the angle indicator is realigned within the suspension mount to lie in the same plane as the longitudinal axis of the conduit. The operator could then observe the reading on the angle indicator as the conduit is bent.
In another embodiment, the guide is comprised of a base member, a suspension mount housing an angle indicator, and a fastening member. This embodiment differs in that it has a base member which allows for greater flexibility in capabilities of the guide, capabilities which are explained below.
In this embodiment, the angle of the bend along the longitudinal axis of the conduit could be measured with a bend angle indicator, which is affixed to the base member. Therefore, now operator can view two separate indicators to observe the degrees of each bend, the angle indicator and the bend angle indicator.
The base member could be detached from the suspension mount if there is a need to set aside a conduit and then come back to it later and make consecutive bends. Since the fastening member will remain affixed to the conduit, upon re-attachment of the base member, the orientation of the guide to the conduit is identical to that prior to detachment of the base member.
In another embodiment, the base member is subdivided into a first base section and a second base section with means for realignment of the first and second base sections with respect to one another. The first base member is affixed to the conduit, while the second base member houses the angle indicator and an optional bend angle indicator. This arrangement allows to measure bends in smaller diameter conduits. As the conduit is realigned in the bending machine, the guide may be in the way of placement of the conduit flat on the bench. Having means for realignment of the first and second base sections with respect to one another allows to move out of the way the bulkier second base section which houses the angle indicator.
In yet another embodiment, the angle indicator could be a bubble level. This embodiment could be used when the only requirement for the consecutive bends is to be co-planar with the first bend. Here the only angle that the angle indicator could show is one of a 0xc2x0 of deviation from the plane of the conduit.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved conduit bending guide that indicates the degree of the out-of-plane bend of consecutive bends in a conduit.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved bending guide that indicates the degree of the bend along the longitudinal axis of the conduit.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved bending guide that has a certain degree of freedom for rotation of the angle indicator so as to allow easier observation of the angle indicator. This feature also allows the operator to attach the guide only once to the conduit and let it remain attached at the same part of the conduit while consecutive bends are made on the conduit.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved bending guide that could be secured to the inner wall surface of the conduit with no part of the guide protruding beyond the outer circumference of the conduit. This feature allows the operator to place the conduit on the flat surface with the guide attached without damaging the guide.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be more apparent by reference to the following description of the invention, description of a preferred embodiment, appended claims, and accompanying drawings.